Prepared  by 

ANNABEL  C.  ROE,  Teacher  of  Literature 


fob 


One-Teacher  Schools 


MARY  L.  HOWARD,  Librarian 

STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL,^  WORCESTER,  MASS. 


BOSTON 

WRIGHT  & POTTER  PRINTING 

32  DERNE  STREET 
1920 


PRINTERS 


Ten-Book  Lists 

FOR 

One -Teacher  Schools 


Prepared  by 

ANNABEL  C.  ROE,  Teacher  of  Literature 
and 

MARY  L.  HOWARD,  Librarian 
STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL,  WORCESTER,  MASS. 


BOSTON 

WRIGHT  & POTTER  PRINTING  CO.,  STATE  PRINTERS 
32  DERNE  STREET 
1920 


Publication  of  this  Document 

APPROVED  BY  THE 

Supervisor  of  Administration. 


o v*rv 


C0^>.  & 


The  Ten-Book  Lists. 


- The  cordial  greeting  given  the  leaflet,  “Rural  School  Libraries  at  Small 
G Cost,”  sent  out  by  the  State  Normal  School  at  Worcester  in  1914,  has  encour- 
aged us  to  send  another  arranged  on  a little  different  plan.  We  hope  that  you 
who  are  teachers  will  find  in  these  “Ten-Book  Lists”  suggestions  for  additions 
to  your  school  bookshelves  that  may  inspire  a great  and  growing  love  for  read- 
ying in  your  pupils.  The  pleasure  found  in  new  books  is  so  real,  the  pride  in  a 
well-chosen  library  so  satisfying,  that  they  should  be  felt  in  all  schools.  We 
have  tried  to  gather  a variety  great  enough  to  fit  the  needs  of  all:  books  for  the 
older  and  the  younger  children;  books  for  reference,  information,  entertainment; 
books  old  and  new;  books  of  small  cost  and  a few  of  greater.  Any  school  with- 
out its  set  of  well-filled  shelves  which  could  purchase  the  complete  list  would 
have  the  beginnings  of  a valuable  library.  If  the  children  could  earn  part  of 
the  money  themselves  and  make  a new  bookcase,  it  would  be  an  excellent  proj- 
ect, and  might  produce  an  interest  in  the  care  of  bindings,  pages  and  shelves 
that  school  property  does  not  usually  receive. 

We  have  grouped  our  selections  in  tens,  not  because  there  is  any  magic  in 
that  number,  but  because  such  a limit  may  help  in  the  choice  of  a good  book 
on  the  topic.  The  subjects  aim  to  cover  the  ordinary  interests  of  school  with  the 
exception  of  arithmetic,  and  include  the  newer  fields  of  study  now  emphasized, 
— civics  or  good  citizenship  and  patriotism,  — that  have  deeper  meaning  since 
the  Great  War.  This  accounts  for  the  second  list  on  history,  called  “History 
Collections,”  and  the  new  volume  of  patriotic  verse  under  “Poetry.”  Several 
of  the  nature  books  are  for  reference  and  should  be  in  every  school  library;  we 
refer  to  those  by  Chapman,  Dana,  and  Matthews.  Editions  of  standard  poets 
have  not  been  listed  as  their  poems  for  children  are  printed  in  the  collec- 
tions or  the  sets  of  readers. 

The  “Sets”  have  been  included  because  of  their  tested  value:  Stories  Pictures 
Tell  take  the  pupils  into  the  realm  of  art;  Baldwin  and  Bender,  Graded  Readers , 
and  Williams,  Choice  Literature , are  good  for  use  along  with  the  regular  read- 
ing lessons  as  the  selections  are  in  truth  “choice;”  The  World  Book  is  a 1918 
encyclopaedia  in  ten  volumes,  full  of  up-to-date  information  expressed  in  every- 
day language  and  illustrated  by  five  thousand  pictures.  The  children  would 
find  it  a mine  of  pleasure  — profitable  pleasure  — at  once. 

The  prices  given  are  those  of  to-day,  September,  1920,  and  may  not  be  those 
of  to-morrow.  They  tell,  however,  somewhere  near  what  the  cost  would  be 
and  also  relative  values. 


4 


JEsop, 

OLD  STORIES. 

. Fables,  ...... 

. Crowell,  . 

. $0  75 

Andersen, 

. Fairy  Tales,  ..... 

. Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. 2 00 

Cutler,  . 

. King  Arthur,  ..... 

. Crowell,  . 

. 1 35 

Dasent,  . 

. Popular  Tales  from  the  Norse, 

. Lippincott, 

. 1 50 

Grimm  Brothers, 

. Household  Tales,  .... 

. Macmillan, 

. 1 00 

Hawthorne, 

. The  Wonder  Book  and  Tanglewood  Tales, 

. Houghton,  Mifflin, 

56 

Jacobs, 

. English  Fairy  Tales,  .... 

. Putnam,  . 

. 1 75 

Peabody, 

. Old  Greek  Folk  Stories, 

. Houghton,  Mifflin, 

48 

Pyle, 

. Merry  Adventures  of  Robin  Hood, 

. Scribner,  . 

76 

Stewart,  . 

. Tell  Me  a Story  I Never  Heard  Before,  . 

. F.  H.  Re  veil,  . 

. 1 75 

MODERN  STORIES. 


Alden, 

. Why  the  Chimes  Rang, 

. Bobbs,  Merrill,  . 

. $0  75 

Barrie, 

. Peter  and  Wendy,  .... 

. Scribner,  . 

. 1 50 

Burnett,  . 

. The  Secret  Garden,  .... 

. F.  A.  Stokes, 

. 2 50 

Clemens, 

. Prince  and  Pauper,  .... 

. Harper, 

. 2 50 

Dix, 

. Merrylips,  ...... 

. Macmillan, 

. 2 00 

Dodge,  . 

. Hans  Brinker  (or  the  Silver  Skates), 

. Scribner,  . 

72 

Kipling,  . 

. Just  So  Stories,  ..... 

. Doubleday,  Page, 

. 2 00 

Lagerlof, 

. Adventures  of  Nils,  .... 

. Doubleday,  Page, 

. 1 90 

Richards, 

. The  Golden  Windows,  .... 

. Little,  Brown,  . 

. 1 20 

Spyri, 

. Heidi,  ...... 

. Ginn, 

68 

\ 

BOOKS  FOR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS  UNDER 

ELEVEN  YEARS. 

Aspinwall, 

Short  Stories  for  Short  People, 

. Dutton, 

. $1  50 

Carroll,  . 

Alice’s  Adventures  in  Wonderland 

(and 

Through  the  Looking  Glass), 

. Macmillan, 

. 1 00 

Collodi,  . 

Pinocchio,  ...... 

50 

Ouida  (De  la  Ram6e) , 

The  Niirnberg  Stove,  .... 

. Lippincott, 

50 

Eastman, 

Indian  Heroes  and  Great  Chieftains, 

. Little,  Brown,  . 

. 1 35 

Harris, 

Uncle  Remus  and  His  Friends, 

. Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. 1 25 

Kingsley, 

Water  Babies,  ..... 

. Lippincott, 

. 1 35 

Lamprey, 

In  the  Days  of  the  Guild, 

. Stokes, 

. 1 50 

Macdonald, 

At  the  Back  of  the  North  Wind,  . 

. Dutton, 

. 1 50 

Moore, 

Pennies  and  Plans,  .... 

. Macmillan, 

60 

BOOKS 

FOR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS  ELEVEN 

YEARS  AND  OLDER. 

Aldrich,  . 

The  Hilltop  on  the  Marne,  . 

. Grosset  & Dunlap, 

$0  75 

Bennett,  . 

Master  Skylark,  .... 

. Century,  . 

1 50 

Collins,  . 

The  Fighting  Engineers, 

. Century,  . 

1 30 

Collins,  . 

Money  Making  for  Boys, 

. Dodd,  Mead, 

1 13 

Hale, 

The  Man  Without  a Country  (paper), 

. F.  A.  Owen, 

10 

Kipling,  . 

Captains  Courageous,  . . . 

. Century,  . 

1 50 

Seaman,  . 

Jacqueline  of  the  Carrier  Pigeons,  . 

. Macmillan, 

1 50 

Usher, 

The  Story  of  the  Pilgrims  for  Children, 

. Educational  Publish- 

ing Company. 

1 25 

Wallace,  . 

Grit-a-Plenty,  .... 

. F.  H.  Revell,  . 

1 35 

Williams, 

Romance  of  Modern  Invention, 

. Lippincott, 

2 00 

5 


AN  INFORMAL  WORD  ON  STORIES  AND  STORY-TELLING. 

When  libraries  teem  with  books  of  stories  for  telling,  when  books  on  story- 
telling continue  to  appear  from  the  press,  and  courses  in  story-telling  are  listed 
in  the  catalogues  of  normal  schools,  schools  of  social  service  and  of  oratory,  can 
any  one  doubt  the  importance  of  this  oldest  and  most  fascinating  of  the  arts? 
And  they  tell  us  that  “the  crest  of  the  wave  is  not  reached  yet  in  story-telling.” 
One  writer  says:  “Stories  are  the  lights  along  the  way  in  the  lives  of  little  chil- 
dren and  avenues  through  which  grown-ups  come  in  closest  contact  with  child- 
life.”  Isn’t  it  delightful  that  what  children  love  so  naturally  should  be  a part 
of  their  school  work?  The  results  of  a teacher’s  efforts  in  this  line  may  be  so 
great  that  she  may  wonder  whether  she  needs  any  other  approach  to  impress 
the  beautiful  and  the  moral  on  her  pupils  fhan  the  paths  in  this  “blessed  land 
of  make-believe.” 

That  is  why  we  have  several  books  on  this  subject  in  the  lists.  Miss  Shed- 
lock’s  The  Art  of  the  Story-teller  is  so  clear  and  definite  that  one  who  has  never 
tried  to  tell  stories  before  has  a good  basis  for  beginning.  There  is  a set  of  tales 
given  at  the  end  that  may  fit  many  a chink  in  the  Friday  afternoon  program. 
The  Stories  to  Tell  to  Children , by  Sarah  Cone  Bryant,  has  been  used  so  long  and 
so  effectively  by  our  public  school  story-tellers  that  it  is  almost  a classic.  It 
contains  some  of  the  old  favorites.  The  latest  book  is  Mary  Stewart’s  Tell  Me 
a Story  I Never  Heard  Before , 1919,  a collection  from  the  story-tellers  of  long  ago 
for  the  story-tellers  of  to-day.  It  chances  to  be  one  of  the  more  expensive 
books,  but  it  has  such  a happy  foreword,  such  attractive  black  and  white  illus- 
trations, and  best  of  all  such  a charming  set  of  tales  that  we  could  not  resist 
including  it. 

The  group  of  “Old  Stories”  has  in  it  the  best  known  and  the  best  loved  of 
the  world’s  lore.  The  teacher  may  plan  to  use  the  fables  and  fairy  stories  in 
the  primary  grades,  then  the  Greek  and  Norse  tales  in  the  fourth  and  fifth 
grades,  the  Robin  Hood  adventures  in  the  sixth,  and,  finally,  King  Arthur  in 
the  seventh.  This  suggestion  comes  from  the  experience  of  several  teachers. 
A little  play  from  any  of  these  is  simple  to  work  out  and  is  good  for  the  chil- 
dren’s development  of  free  expression.  Among  the  favorites  for  dramatization 
are  “The  Three  Billy-Goats  Gruff”  from  the  Norse,  “The  Town  Musicians,” 
“The  Shoe  Maker  and  the  Elves,”  “Sleeping  Beauty,”  and  “Hansel  and 
Grethel”  from  Grimm  Brothers.  The  last  story  just  suits  Hallowe’en.  This 
sort  of  return  from  the  pupils  is  valuable  for  team  work  and  growth  of  original- 
ity; it  is  also  good  fun.  Our  only  advice  or  caution  is  to  make  use  every  time 
of  the  choice  bits  of  language  found  in  the  story,  such,  for  example,  as  “ Your 
face  is  as  long  as  three  days  of  rainy  weather”  from  “The  Town  Musicians,” 
or  “He  has  eyes  like  saucers  and  a nose  as  long  as  a poker”  from  “The  Three 
Billy-Goats  Gruff.”  It  is  such  little  touches  that  help  make  these  old  tales 
real  art.  The  Greek  stories  are  well  brought  in  when  the  children  are  studying 
Greek  history,  so  that  their  whole  school  life  centers  for  a time  around  that  land 
and  its  achievement.  And  they  love  it.  In  one  of  our  city  schools  a little  girl 
used  to  tell  her  teacher  that  she  was  so  glad  next  week  was  coming  because  it 


6 


would  be  Greek  week.  They  are  fond  of  Ulysses,  Perseus,  and  the  other  ancient 
heroes.  The  Norse  stories  have  a charm  all  their  own  that  has  only  lately  been 
appreciated  by  the  schools.  There  are  those  now  who  say,  “Don’t  omit  the  Norse 
tales  under  any  circumstances.”  Every  country  has  its  group  of  folk  lore  that 
we  would  include  in  our  list  if  only  our  limit  had  been  twenty  instead  of  ten. 

Besides  use  in  regular  school  work,  the  story-telling  is  coming  to  a place  in 
social  life.  If,  perhaps,  the  teacher  has  no  talent  as  a musician  to  entertain  her 
friends,  she  may  find  that  a little  practice  will  make  her  very  popular  as  a 
story-teller  at  the  children’s  parties  or  church  socials  in  town.  We  know  that 
the  latest  development  of  this  art  is  on  the  city  street,  where  the  story-teller 
dressed  very  likely  as  a gypsy  gathers  a group  of  children  about  her  and  tells 
yarns  to  them  till  her  supply  is  exhausted.  It  may  not  hit  the  reader’s  place 
in  life  exactly,  but  we  venture  to  believe  that  she  may  feel  that  story-telling  is 
a real  art  worth  developing  in  herself  further  than  she  may  need  for  the  school- 
room. It  has  unrealized  possibilities. 

The  other  stories  on  the  lists  are  especially  for  outside  reading  and  should  be 
thoroughly  enjoyed.  One  of  the  best  ways  of  exciting  interest  in  them  is  that 
old  method  of  reading  aloud  an  incident  or  two  without  very  much  comment. 
We  who  are  teachers  should  have  enough  of  the  child  left  in  us  to  find  a keen 
delight  in  the  adventures  of  the  little  people  who  ramble  through  these  pages; 
so  there  ought  to  be  no  hardship  in  finding  good  paragraphs  to  arouse  interest 
in  our  pupils.  The  books  selected  cover  many  parts  of  the  world  and  many 
periods  of  time ; this  means  that  the  child’s  leisure  reading  will  be  a good  begin- 
ning for  his  later  trips  in  bookland. 

The  story,  be  it  told  or  read,  “is  a great  life  message  that  passes  from  one 
soul  to  another.  It  is  quickly  given,  but  it  lasts  in  the  life  through  eternity. 
It  has  power  to  bless  and  it  has  also  power  to  curse.”  It  has  been  our  aim  to 
give  in  these  tiny  lists  the  best  that  our  writers  have  yet  produced,  and  par- 
ticularly that  which  has  proved  itself  a power  to  bless  the  lives  of  children. 


ANIMALS. 

Burroughs, 

. Squirrels  and  Other  Fur-Bearers,  . 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. $0  84 

Kipling,  . 

. Jungle  Books,  .... 

Doubleday,  Page, 

. 2 00 

Long, 

. Ways  of  Wood  Folk, 

Ginn, 

60 

Long, 

. Wood  Folk  at  School,  . 

Ginn, 

60 

M or  ley,  . 

. Little  Mitchell,  .... 

McClurg,  . 

. 1 25 

Roberts,  . 

. Haunters  of  the  Silences, 

Doubleday,  Page, 

. 2 00 

Seton, 

. Krag  and  Johnny  Bear, 

Scribner,  . 

50 

Seton, 

. The  Biography  of  a Grizzly,  . 

Century 

. 1 90 

Seton, 

. Trail  of  the  Sandhill  Stag, 

Scribner,  . 

. 1 00 

Sewell, 

. Black  Beauty,  .... 

Crowell,  . 

75 

NATURE. 

Bigham,  . 

. Fanciful  Flower  Tales, 

Little,  Brown,  . 

. $0  70 

Burgess,  . 

. Old  Mother  West  Wind, 

Little,  Brown,  . 

70 

Chapman, 

. Handbook  of  Birds  ol  Eastern  North  America,  . 

Appleton,  . 

. 3 50 

Dana, 

. How  to  Know  the  Wild  Flowers,  . 

Scribner,  . 

. 3 00 

Mathews, 

. Field  Book  of  American  Trees  and  Shrubs, 

Putnam,  . 

. 2 50 

Miller, 

. True  Bird  Stories, 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

84 

Morley,  . 

. Butterflies  and  Bees,  . 

Ginn, 

60 

7 


Morrison  and  Brues,  . 

How  to  Make  the  Garden  Pay  (Grades  V to 

VIII) 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. $1 

00 

Patch, 

Dame  Bug  and  Her  Babies,  .... 

Pine  Cone  Publishing 

Company,  Orono, 

Me., 

. 1 

00 

Sharp, 

A Year  Out-of  Doors,  ..... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

52 

GEOGRAPHY. 

Andrews, 

Seven  Little  Sisters,  ..... 

Ginn, 

. $0  64 

Carroll,  . 

Around  the  World,  ..... 

Silver,  Burdett. 

Book  I, 

72 

Book  II 

76 

Book  III 

84 

Book  IV 

92 

Lane, 

Toward  the  Rising  Sun,  .... 

Ginn, 

60 

Lee, 

McDonald  and  Dal- 

When  I Was  a Boy  in  China, 

Lothrop,  . 

75 

rymple,  . . 

Little  People  Everywhere  Series  (14  vols.), 

Little,  Brown,  . 

65 

Perkins,  . 

The  Dutch  Twins,  ..... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

88 

Perkins,  . 

The  Esquimo  Twins,  ..... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

88 

Southern  Stories  Retold  from  St.  Nicholas, 
Stories  of  the  Great  Lakes  Retold  from  St. 

Century,  . 

. 1 

25 

Nicholas,  ...... 

Stories  of  Strange  Sights  Retold  from  St. 

Century,  . 

. 1 

25 

Nicholas,  ...... 

Century,  . 

. 1 

25 

INDUSTRIAL  GEOGRAPHY. 

Brooks,  . 

The  Story  of  Cotton,  ..... 

Rand,  McNally, 

. $1 

00 

Chamberlain,  . 

How  We  Are  Clothed,  ..... 

Macmillan, 

80 

Chamberlain,  . 

How  We  Are  Fed,  ..... 

Macmillan, 

80 

Chamberlain,  . 

How  We  Are  Sheltered,  .... 

Macmillan, 

80 

Foreman, 

Stories  of  Useful  Inventions, 

Century,  . 

60 

Shillig,  . 

The  Four  Wonders,  . 

Rand,  McNally, 

90 

Tappan,  . 

The  Farmer  and  His  Friends, 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

80 

Tappan,  . 

Diggers  in  the  Earth,  ..... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

80 

Tappan,  . 

Makers  of  Many  Things,  .... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

80 

Tappan,  . 

Travellers  and  Traveling,  .... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

80 

HISTORY. 

Dutton,  . 

Little  Stories  of  England,  .... 

American  Book, 

. $0  40 

Dutton,  . 

Little  Stories  of  France,  .... 

American  Book, 

40 

Perkins,  . 

The  Belgian  Twins,  ..... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

88 

Perkins,  . 

The  French  Twins,  ..... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

88 

Sparks,  . 

Expansion  of  the  American  People, 

Scott,  Foresman, 

. 1 

12 

Stone  and  Fickett,  . 

Days  and  Deeds  a Hundred  Years  Ago, 

D.  C.  Heath,  . 

64 

Stone  and  Fickett,  . 

Everyday  Life  in  the  Colonies, 

D.  C.  Heath, 

64 

Tappan,  . 

The  Little  Book  of  the  Flag, 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

64 

Tappan,  . 

Little  Book  of  the  War  (Great  War), 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

40 

Tappan,  . 

Our  Country’s  Story,  ..... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. 1 

04 

HISTORY  COLLECTIONS. 

Andrews, 

Ten  Boys  Who  Lived  on  the  Road  from  Long 

Ago  to  Now,  ...... 

Ginn, 

. $0  64 

Tappan,  . 

American  Hero  Stories  (Grades  IV  and  V), 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

92 

Deming  and  Bemis,  . 

Stories  of  Patriotism  (Grades  V and  VI), 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

72 

Bemis,  Holtz,  Smith, 

The  Patriotic  Reader  (Grades  VII  and  VIII), 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

72 

Brooks,  . 

Stories  of  the  Old  Bay  State, 

American  Book, 

57 

Gordy, 

Stories  of  American  Explorers, 

Scribner,  . 

68 

Haaren  and  Poland,  . 

Famous  Men  of  the  Middle  Ages,  . 

American  Book, 

54 

Horton,  . 

A Group  of  Famous  Women, 

D.  C.  Heath, 

96 

Sanford  and  Owen,  . 

Modern  Americans,  ..... 

Laurel  Book, 

80 

Wayland, 

History  Stories  for  Primary  Grades, 

Macmillan, 

72 

8 


BIOGRAPHY. 


Antin, 

. . At  School  in  the  Promised  Land,  . 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. $0  28 

Eastman, 

. . From  the  Deep  Woods  to  Civilization, 

Little,  Brown,  . 

. 2 

00 

Grenfell,  . 

. . Adrift  on  an  Ice  Pan,  . 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

28 

Hagedorn, 

. Boys’  Life  of  Theodore  Roosevelt, 

Harper, 

. 1 

60 

Hudson,  . 

. Far  Away  and  Long  Ago, 

Putnam,  . 

. 2 

50 

Keller, 

. . Story  of  My  Life, 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

44 

Mitchell, 

. . The  Youth  of  Washington,  . 

Century,  . 

. 2 

00 

Moores,  . 

. . Christopher  Columbus  for  Boys  and  Girls, 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

28 

Nicolay,  . 

. . Boys’  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 

Century,  . 

. 1 

75 

Nicolay,  . 

. . Boys  Life  of  U.  S.  Grant, 

Century,  . 

. 1 

50 

GOOD  CITIZENSHIP. 

Fryer, 

. . Our  Town  and  Civic  Duty,  . 

Winston,  . 

. $0 

70 

Fryer, 

. . Our  Home  and  Personal  Duty, 

Winston,  . 

70 

Fryer, 

. . Community  Interest  and  Public  Spirit, 

Winston,  . 

76 

Greene,  . 

. . America  First,  .... 

Scribner,  . 

72 

Greene,  . 

. . My  Country’s  Voice,  . 

Scribner,  . 

64 

O’Shea  and  Kellogg,  . Health  Habits,  .... 

Macmillan, 

80 

O’Shea  and  Kellogg,  . Making  the  Most  of  Life, 

Macmillan, 

. 1 

00 

Salsbury, 

. . Liberty  the  Giant  Killer, 

Institute  for  Public 

Service,  New  York, 

N.  Y.,  . 

65 

Synon, 

. . My  Country’s  Part, 

Scribner,  . 

64 

Turkington, 

. . Stories  of  Thrift  for  Young  Americans, 

Scribner,  . 

72 

POETRY. 

BrOadhurst 

and 

Rhodes, 

. . Verse  for  Patriots, 

Lippincott, 

. $1 

12 

Field,  . 

. . Poems  of  Childhood  (illustrated  by  M.  Parrish) , 

Scribner,  . 

. 2 

50 

Lear, 

. . Nonsense  Songs,  .... 

Little,  Brown,  . 

50 

Peabody, 

. . Singing  Leaves,  .... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. 1 

00 

Riley, 

. Riley  Reader,  .... 

Bobbs,  Merrill,  . 

60 

Rossetti,  . 

. . Selected  Poems,  .... 

Macmillan, 

40 

Stevenson, 

. . The  Child’s  Garden  of  Verses, 

Altemus,  . 

. 1 

00 

Wiggin  and  Smith,  . Golden  Numbers, 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. 1 

10 

Wiggin  and  Smith,  . The  Posy  Ring,  .... 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

90 

Mother  Goose  Nursery  Rhymes,  . 

Altemus,  . 

50 

BOOKS  FOR  THE  TEACHER. 

Andress,  . 

. Health  Education  in  Rural  Schools, 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. $1 

85 

Bryant,  . 

. Stories  to  Tell  to  Children,  . 

Houghton,  Mifflin, 

. 1 

40 

Carney,  . 

. Country  Life  and  the  Country  School, 

Row,  Peterson,  . 

. 1.  60 

Dewey,  . 

. The  School  and  Society, 

University  of  Chicago 

Press, 

. 1 

■25 

Engleman, 

. . Moral  Education  in  School  and  Home, 

B.  H.  Sanborii,  . 

. 1 

60 

Krackowizer, 

. Projects  in  the  Primary  Grades, 

Lippincott, 

. 1 

40 

McMurry, 

. Teaching  by  Projects,  . 

Macmillan, 

. 1 

32 

Norsworthy  and  Whit- 

ley, 

. The  Psychology  of  Childhood, 

Macmillan, 

. 1 

80 

Shedlock, 

. The  Art  of  the  Story-Teller,  . 

Appleton,  . 

. 2 

25 

Strayer  and 

Nors- 

worthy, 

. How  to  Teach,  .... 

Macmillan, 

. 1 

80 

SETS. 

Baldwin  and 

Bender,  Graded  Readers  (5  vols.), 

American  Book, 

. $2 

80 

Blake  and  Alexander,  Graded  Poetry  (7  vols.), 

Bobbs,  Merrill,  . 

. 2 00 

Carpenter, 

. . Stories  Pictures  Tell  (7  vols.), 

Rand,  McNally, 

. 2 

70 

Williams, 

. . Choice  Literature  (7  vols.),  . 

American  Book, 

. 3 

20 

The  World  Book.  Organized  Knowledge  in 

Story  and  Picture  (10  vols.)f  . . . Hanson,  Roach,  Fow- 

ler Company,  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  . . 39  50 


9 


LIBRARY  WORK  IN  THE  TRAINING  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE 
WORCESTER  STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

Suggestions  to  Rural  School  Teachers. 

It  is  one  of  the  teacher’s  most  stimulating  and  satisfying  experiences  to  en- 
courage children  to  read,  and  to  develop  in  them  a love  for  it.  Its  effect  is 
quickly  noticed  in  all  the  other  work  of  the  children,  and  good  results  can 
easily  be  obtained  even  though  it  is  not  possible  to  have  a large  library  and 
extensive  facilities  or  even  to  devote  much  time  to  it.  Perhaps  the  reason  why 
teachers  do  not  more  generally  appreciate  their  opportunities  in  this  line  is 
because  there  are  not  many  schools  in  which  there  is  a specific  aim  to  accomplish 
this  result. 

If  you  should  visit  the  training  department  of  the  Worcester  State  Normal 
School  you  would  find  that  such  an  aim  does  exist,  and  that  it  has  been  found 
very  advantageous  to  add  regular  library  instruction  to  the  curriculum.  This 
work  is  introduced  in  the  third  grade,  and  varies  in  its  problems  according  to 
the  grade. 

We  began  by  establishing  a reading  hour  once  a week,  when  all  the  grades  from 
the  third  to  the  sixth  gathered  in  the  assembly  room  after  recess  on  a definite 
afternoon.  We  very  quickly  transformed  this  room  into  an  attractive  reading 
room  by  placing  in  it  kindergarten  tables  on  each  of  which  was  an  assortment 
of  books  on  a definite  subject.  For  the  third  grade  children,  who  were  just 
beginning  to  read  by  themselves,  we  were  careful  to  select  books  with  large 
print  and  plenty  of  pictures,  and  we  kept  these  on  a special  table  so  that  these 
small  children  would  be  sure  to  find  something  to  interest  them.  Third  grade 
children  should  be  given  books  which  contain  short  stories,  full  of  life  and  action, 
and  with  plenty  of  dialogue,  for  at  this  age,  when  reading  is  still  a problem  to 
them,  they  tire  of  descriptions  or  of  stories  which  do  not  stimulate  their  imag- 
ination. It  would  be  time  lost  if  the  children  did  not  find  themselves  intensely 
interested  in  the  books  which  they  chose  and  if  they  did  not  find  that  the  end 
of  the  reading  hour  came  all  too  soon.  During  this  reading  hour  the  older  chil- 
dren were  able  to  decide  for  themselves  whether  they  would  sit  at  a History 
table,  a Geography  table,  a Fairy  Book  table,  or  whatever  subject  suited  their 
fancy. 

This  reading  hour  has  come  to  be  greatly  anticipated  by  the  pupils,  and  is 
conducted  easily  and  in  a very  dignified  and  orderly  way.  The  success  of  it 
has  been  due  to  the  way  in  which  the  children  were  prepared  for  it.  The  prin- 
cipal of  the  department  informed  them  before  their  first  visit  to  the  reading 
room  that  they  were  to  go  quietly  and  in  an  orderly  manner  to  the  tables  and 
choose  very  carefully  a book  which  they  felt  they  would  like  to  read  for  the 
entire  period;  then  to  take  a seat  and  read  it.  They  were  warned  against  divid- 
ing their  attention  among  a number  of  books,  none  of  which  they  actually  read. 

The  advantages  of  a reading  hour  are  manifold.  The  children  acquire  a love 
of  reading,  a taste  for  good  books  and  a desire  for  knowledge.  There  is  in  the 
experience  an  excellent  opportunity  for  them  to  broaden  their  knowledge  in 
the  subjects  which  interest  them  most,  because  they  are  free  to  follow  their  own 
inclinations  in  selecting  books.  They  become  accustomed  to  the  atmosphere  of 


10 


a library,  and  learn  to  move  about  quietly  so  as  not  to  disturb  other  readers. 
Here,  also,  is  an  excellent  opportunity  to  teach  children  to  respect  property 
not  their  own.  They  may  be  told  how  to  open  a new  book,  first  pressing  back 
the  covers  carefully,  and  then  cutting  with  a paper  knife  the  uncut  pages,  press- 
ing them  back  from  top  to  bottom  carefully  to  prevent  breaking  the  back  of 
the  book.  They  should  have  clean  hands  to  hold  a book,  and  should  hold  it 
with  both  hands,  placed  one  on  each  lower  half  of  the  page  on  which  they  are 
reading.  If  children  are  taught  early  in  their  school  life  to  care  for  public  prop- 
erty as  if  it  were  their  own,  it  is  a great  step  in  the  direction  of  teaching  them 
careful,  thoughtful,  unselfish  habits. 

In  addition  to  allowing  the  children  to  read  during  the  regular  reading  hour, 
we  permit  them  to  take  books  home,  if  they  are  so  interested  in  the  book  they 
choose  as  to  want  to  finish  it.  We  have  the  child  fill  out  a printed  slip  which 
states  the  name  of  the  borrower,  date  when  the  book  is  taken,  its  name,  and 
author.  When  the  book  is  returned,  — not  more  than  a week  later,  — the  slip 
is  simply  destroyed. 

In  order  that  we  might  learn  the  reaction  of  the  reading  hour  upon  the  pupils, 
they  have  from  time  to  time  been  asked  what  book  they  have  read,  if  they 
liked  it,  and  why  they  liked  it.  We  have  found  that  this  helps  the  child  to  express 
himself  before  a class  and  develops  original  thinking.  It  also  gives  the  other 
pupils  an  idea  as  to  whether  they  would  like  to  read  the  book  themselves.  This 
sort  of  book  report  has  been  given  at  morning  exercises,  when  the  whole  school 
is  assembled,  and  also  in  the  various  classes.  To  be  able  to  ask  a geography 
class  during  a lesson  on  France,  “Has  any  one  read  ‘The  French  Twins?’  ” and 
receive  from  an  enthusiastic  reader  a few  of  the  incidents  of  the  story,  is  to  add 
a great  deal  of  interest  to  a lesson.  Another  way  to  stimulate  the  effect  of  this 
reading  has  been  to  have  the  children  write  out  their  impressions  of  the  books 
they  have  read. 

The  above  program  was  so  successful  that  we  decided  to  broaden  the  library 
work  to  include  more  dictionary  and  encyclopsedia  study,  the  use  of  the  more 
important  reference  works  and  the  card  catalogue.  We  have  found  that  chil- 
dren from  the  fifth  grade  up  are  quite  capable,  with  practice,  of  using  intelligently 
an  encyclopsedia,  “Who’s  Who  in  America,”  and  other  standard  reference 
books.  It  is  obviously  an  advantage  to  introduce  this  training  early  in  their 
school  life  for  it  develops  the  habit  of  using  reference  books,  and,  if  this  habit 
becomes  second  nature,  it  will  be  of  great  value  to  them  in  later  study. 

The  next  step  in  our  library  instruction  is  the  use  of  the  card  catalogue.  As 
the  training  school  library  is  comparatively  small,  this  catalogue  is  a very  simple 
affair,  the  reference  books  being  indexed  under  author,  title,  and  subject.  To 
teach  a child  to  find  out  from  that  catalogue  whether  there  is  among  our  books 
one  which  he  has  seen  or  heard  of  outside,  is  a step  toward  teaching  him  to 
save  time,  which  he  might  otherwise  spend  in  searching  bookshelves,  and  — a 
mqst  important  thing  — preparing  him  to  use  more  intelligently  than  he  other- 
wise might  the  more  complicated  card  catalogues  of  the  city  library.  Every 
school  library,  no  matter  how  small,  should  have  a card  catalogue  of  its  books 
such  as  is  described  above.  Without  one  there  is  no  efficient  way  of  accounting 


11 


for  what  has  been  purchased;  books  will  become  lost,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
a teacher  will  often  be  unaware  that  a much  desired  book  is  owned  by  the  school. 

Another  important  point  in  elementary  library  instruction  is  teaching  chil- 
dren the  purpose  and  value  of  the  book  index  and  preface.  Often  a pupil  reaches 
high  school  age  without  definite  knowledge  of  the  great  importance  of  these 
two  parts  in  reference  work.  This  instruction  can  be  given  successfully  in  the 
lower  grades. 

We  believe  that  the  elementary  library  instruction  above  outlined  can  be 
adapted  with  great  success  to  the  needs  of  the  rural  school  where  work  along 
this  line  can  be  done  in  either  one  or  two  groups. 

The  children  in  the  training  department  of  the  Worcester  State  Normal  School 
are  enthusiastic  over  every  phase  of  this  library  instruction  and  have  gained 
much  from  it. 


